In real life, James Holzhauer finished his last game of Jeopardy! a while ago, but since the show is taped months in advance, today marks the end of his reign of trivia terror.
Going into Monday’s show, Holzhauer had won 32 straight games, set several single-game records and had won $2,462,216. He was just $58,484 shy of Ken Jennings’s all-time record for regular play. (Including tournaments, Brad Rutter is the all-time money leader.) Jennings won 74 straight games, 42 more than Holzhauer had won coming into today.
Knew I shouldn’t have invited @Drake to the @Jeopardy taping.
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June 3, 2019
Over the weekend a Final Jeopardy! clip was leaked on Twitter, hours before the actual episode started airing across the country. (Fun fact: Jeopardy! airs at other times than 7pm)
If you would like to avoid knowing HOW it happens, stop reading now. For everyone else still here, skip to the bottom of this post and watch the leaked clip or keep reading.
Holzhauer led after the first round. But early in Double Jeopardy, Emma Boettcher bet it all and doubled $7,600, a strategy she most likely learned watching Holzhauer.
The Final clue was easy enough that everyone got it correct, but thanks to an unbelievably low, head-scratching, conspiracy-theory-making wager from Holzhauer, Emma Boettcher is your new champ.
There is one person who was really happy it’s over though, his little girl.
My kid cried about the possibility of her dad losing, so I told her we could have a party the day after it inevitably happens. Now she cries when I win https://t.co/wuBEJtcP4J
— James Holzhauer (@James_Holzhauer) June 2, 2019
Here’s the leaked clip.
https://youtu.be/Ax2MC8IBIGQ
[h/t deadspin]
